Job Description

Creative Design Director – Female Fashion – Expats Welcome to apply

THIS IS STRICTLY A PERMANENT WORK IN COUNTRY POSITION, OPEN TO INTERNATIONALLY BASED CANDIDATES ABLE TO RELOCATE TO CHINA – SHANGHAI, HANGZHOU, GUANGZHOU!

Company Description:

Our client is a leading European Apparel organization with a global presence in over 35 countries, and over 4000 stores worldwide. They are a leading female fashion brand dedicated to elevating women's style through innovative design and a keen understanding of contemporary trends. Their mission is to empower women by offering fashionable, high-quality apparel that resonates with their individuality and lifestyle. Committed to creativity and excellence, fostering an environment where our design team can thrive and push the boundaries of fashion.

We are seeking a Creative Design Director to strategically lead the transformation, change, and style range, able to drive it from being fast fashion, to becoming more of a premium fashion brand.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Reporting to the CEO, leading a team of over 60 staff on the Fashion Design team
• Creative Leadership to drive innovation and commercial newness for the brand. Guide the design team to identify the latest Asian and global trends while understanding the target consumer.
• Fashion Insights and recognize key selling points of all garments and lead the team in enhancing original inspirations.
• Provide coaching and problem-solving support to the team, ensuring they excel in fittings and can give clear directions.
• Fashion & Trend Research and Analysis - Conduct structured research covering trends, KOLs, market leaders, fabrics, and business opportunities relevant to your categories.
• Inspiration trips to lead the team on sample buying and inspiration trips to discover new, innovative, and commercially viable products, facilitating communication to maximize ideas and concepts.
• Fabric Insights to oversee fabric research and upgrades for the brand. Regularly visit fabric fairs and build an extensive fabric library.
• Detail Library Management - Manage the library of finishing and detail ideas, ensuring that managers are kept updated.
• Core Library Oversight - Manage the existing Core Library and collaborate with Buying teams to strategically update offerings each season.
• Workflow Optimization - Optimize workflow and product development processes to deliver creative and innovative designs, ensuring best sellers are included and based on solid research.
• Development Meetings - Organize Development Meetings, ensuring Designers are prepared and can present garments effectively, resolving issues on the spot.
• Lead Post-Development Meetings to drive concepts across categories.
• Collaborate closely with the Head of Buying and Category Design Managers.
• Culture of Excellence, leading by example, fostering a culture of excellence and innovation within the team.
• Effective Communication and maintain open lines of communication with the team, ensuring a pleasant and productive environment.
• Relationship Management by building strong relationships with Buying, Retail, EC, and Senior Management.
• Commercial Knowledge Development - Continuously enhance personal and team commercial knowledge by spending time in the brand's stores and studying competitors, including immersion in Chinese websites and social media.
• Team Development Workshops - Provide ongoing workshops to nurture team skills and encourage initiative and improvement ideas.
• Sales Growth - Drive year-on-year sales growth through effective creative and commercial strategies that align with target audience needs.

Requirements: 

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Fashion, Design or related discipline
• Proven experience 18+ years of designing women’s fashion.
• Experience in managing and leading a team.
• Strong management and leadership skills to create a positive, energetic team environment.
• Excellent team-building and planning skills.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating design expertise.
• Creative design flair with a keen sense of fast-moving trends.
• Excellent knowledge of fabrics and meticulous attention to detail.
• Proficiency in Adobe programs (Photoshop/Illustrator).
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office and PowerPoint.
• Strong team player capable of prioritizing workload across multiple collections.
• Proficient in English is a must
• Relocation will be provided

Location: (China) - Hangzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou

Budget:

• USD        :               US$ 300,000 – US$450,000 + expat package
• Euros     :               Euros 400,000 – Euros 500,000 + expat package
• CNY        :               CNY 3,000,000 – 4,000,000 p.a. + package

Applicants:

• We welcome suitable applicants from around the world with the relevant experience from global fashion brands to apply, along with their portfolio for review and assessment, suitable candidates will be contacted for interview directly.

Do you have a proven track record in driving transformation and brand elevation for a premium fashion label? We seek a visionary leader with a deep passion for women's fashion and a commitment to innovation. If you are ready to make a significant impact and help shape the future of our brand, we invite you to join our team.